The old contemptibles have hit the straps in full fury. Using all the dubious tricks in their arsenal to defile yet again the sanctity of the democratic exercise of elections in Bihar. Which has to its dubious credit the distinction of teaching the rest of India the rudimentaries of manipulating the polls. Events during these elections have only confirmed that political parties in Bihar are unwilling to forsake their wicked ways. Notwithstanding the massive Election Commission bandobast for holding fair polls, the notorious political operators staged their shameful encore. Blood stained the ballot papers, voters were banished from booths, political murders became routine, fake ballot papers in fake boxes were imported and the state machinery was unabashedly exploited to benefit the stalwarts. Shredded counterfoils of ballot papers were strewn around Dehri-on-Son. And there was a dash of novelty too: polling officials at Bariyarpur in Munger were injected with sedatives to prevent honest intervention.